Death by Pumpkin Spice  Is Where the Bookstore Café Mysteries Finally Clicked for Me

Goodreads | Death by Pumpkin Spice

Release date: September 27, 2016

Publisher: Kensington

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Synopsis:

Bookstore café owner Krissy Hancock would rather spend Halloween serving pumpkin goodies than wearing costumes with Pine Hills’ wealthiest at Yarborough mansion, especially when the soiree shapes up to be more trick than treat . . .

As if a run-in with an old flame and a failed marriage proposal weren’t enough to horrify Krissy for one night, a woman is found strangled to death in a room filled with ominous jack-o’-lanterns. All signs suggest a crime of passion—but when the hostess’s jewelry disappears, malevolent intentions seem way more likely . . .

With the estate on lockdown and a killer roaming the halls, Krissy must help Officer Paul Dalton investigate each nook, cranny, and guest for answers—while also confronting a few demons of her own. Someone has lots of skeletons in the closet, and Krissy better tread lightly to expose them . . .

Review:

Halloween, a locked down estate, a house full of suspicious guests, and a murderer roaming the halls? Death by Pumpkin had a lot going for it from the start, and so far, this is easily my favorite of the first three Bookstore Café Mysteries.

Krissy finds herself at a Halloween party that goes very wrong when a woman is found strangled in a room filled with jack o’ lanterns. With the estate locked down and everyone suddenly a potential suspect, Krissy works with Officer Paul Dalton to figure out what happened. The locked room style mystery worked especially well for me, and I loved that so much of the story takes place during the party itself. It kept the mystery moving and gave the book a fun, claustrophobic feel.

And, perhaps most importantly for me, Krissy finally annoyed me significantly less. 😂 Being asked by the police to help with the investigation made a difference, because her involvement felt more natural than it sometimes did in the earlier books. I also enjoyed the developing romantic tension, because there are definitely some love triangle vibes starting to emerge, and I’m curious to see where that goes.

This book was also the point where I really started understanding the appeal of this series. Looking ahead at the series ratings, it seems like the books continue to find a stronger audience as they progress, and after reading these first three, I can understand why. I know some people will tell you to push through a slow first season of a show because “season three is where it gets good,” and I’m always like… why did I have to watch two seasons for you to tell me that?! 😂 But honestly, that’s a little bit what I’m experiencing here. The first book was a 3, the second bumped up to 3.5, and now book three is a 4.

If you’re interested in this series but aren’t loving the beginning, I can actually see the argument for jumping ahead. For me, though, I’m glad I gave it the three book test because now I know there is enough here to make me want to continue. I’m taking a little break for some ARCs, but I definitely plan to try books 4, 5, and 6 before deciding whether the Bookstore Café Mysteries earns a permanent spot on my cozy mystery rotation.

Perfect for Readers Who Love

• Halloween and fall cozy mysteries

• Locked room style mysteries

• Bookstore café settings

• Small town amateur sleuths

• Murder mysteries set at parties

• Romantic tension and love triangles

• Atmospheric seasonal mysteries

• Long running cozy mystery series

Overall rating: 4/5

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